Tape dispenser and applicator

ABSTRACT

A device having a tape applicator mounted on a reciprocal knife carriage is adapted to press an adhesive-coated tape across abutting end of two strips to form a splice. Another reciprocal carriage carries a roll of the tape fed through a tape-folding device and a cutter on the knife carriage. At the beginning of a cycle, the tape-roll carriage moves forward to feed a piece of tape, previously stripped from the roll, so that the leading edge is positioned over the abutting ends of the strips. The knife carriage also moves forward to a position over the leading edge to form a splice. While the applicator is holding the end of the tape, the tape-roll carriage moves away from the splice and through the tape-rolling device to make it more rigid for feeding. The tape is then cut; the trailing edge is affixed to the splice; and the applicator and cutter are recocked for the next cycle.

July 18, 1972 MORSE EIAL TAPE DISPENSER AND APPLICA'IOR 8 Sheets-Sheet 1Original Filed Aug. 23. 1967 JOHN E. MORSE NORMAN J. ROSENBURGH 1A\"ENTORS ATTORNEYS July 18, 1972 MORSE ETAL 3,677,864

TAPE DISPENSEI AND APPLICATOR Original Filed Aug. 23. 1967 8Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN E. MORSE NORMAN J- ROSENBURGH INVENTORS BY A47 dJuli.

ATTORNEYS July 18, 1972 MQRSE ETAL TAPE DISPENSER AND APPLICATOROriginal Filed Aug. 23. 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 RRS m WWW E .mw m m 0 T ZA .J.

July 18, 1972 J SE ETAL TAPE DISPENSER AND APPLiCATOR 8 Sheets-Sheet 4Original Filed Aug. 25. 1967 JOHN E. MORSE NORMAN J. ROSENBURGHINVENTORS A Ma, 2

A1 TORNEYS July 18, 1972 J MORSE EI'AL 3,677,864

TAPE DISPENSER AND APPLICATOR FIG. 6

JOHN E. MORSE NORMAN J. ROSENBURGH INVENTORS BY XWMM ATTORNEYS July 18,1972 J, MORSE ETAL TAPE DISPENSER AND APPLICATOR 8 Sheets-Sheet 6Original Filed Aug. 23. 1967 N QE JOHN E- MORSE NORMAN J. ROSENBURGHINVENTORS 42 JM WWW ATTORNEYS July 18, 1972 MORSE ETAL TAPE DISPENSERAND APPLICATOR 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Original Filed Aug. 23. 1967 JOHN E.MORSE NORMAN J. ROSENBURGH INVENTORS 6. JM

WWW

ATTORNEYS July 18, 1972 MORSE ETAL TAPE DISPENSER AND APPLICATOR 8Sheets-Sheet 8 Original Filed Aug. 23. 1967 N mm JOHN E- MORSE NORMAN JROSENBURGH INVENTOIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 156-505 7Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device having a tape applicatormounted on a reciprocal knife carriage is adapted to press anadhesivecoated tape across abutting end of two strips to form a splice.Another reciprocal carriage carries a roll of the tape fed through atape-folding device and a cutter on the knife carriage. At the beginningof a cycle, the taperoll carriage moves forward to feed a piece of tape,previously stripped from the roll, so that the leading edge ispositioned over the abutting ends of the strips. The knife carriage alsomoves forward to a position over the leading edge of the tape andpresses the tape against the strips to form a splice. While theapplicator is holding the end of the tape, the tape-roll carriage movesaway from the splice pulling a length of tape from the roll for the nextsplice and through the tape-rolling device to make it more rigid forfeeding. The tape is then cut; the trailing edge is afiixed to thesplice; and the applicator and cutter are recocked for the next cycle.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The tape dispenser andapplicator disclosed in this application has particular utility in thestrip splicing device disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No.662,685 filed Aug. 23, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,553,056. The tape cutoffmechanism utilized with this invention is disclosed more fully incopending US. application Ser, No. 662,687, filed Aug. 23, 1967, nowPat. No. 3,474,696.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 662,686, filed Aug. 23,1967, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus forjoining ends of two strips of indefinite length together by means of anadhesive web or tape which is applied to the abutting ends to form asplice, and is severed from its supply means. One use for such longlengths is in a film processing or treating machine, where theindividual short lengths of film are spliced together to form a longlength to be fed into the machine.

The prior art tape dispensing and applicating mechanisms have certaindisadvantages. For instance, in some devices it is necessary to eitheradvance the Ifilrn strips by hand or apply them by hand. Furthermore,many machines are complex in operation, having many moving parts, whichmay include a separate feeding mechanism and separate applicator means.Also, some machines were relatively slow in operation in that theoperator must wait while the tape is dispensed from a roll before it canbe applied to a joint to form a splice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Two reciprocal carriages are provided, onecarrying the tape roll and the other carrying the tape applicator, thecutting mechanism and the tape-creasing or folding means. The end of thetape, which may be pressure sensitive, is fed through the folding meansand cutter to the tape applicator which applies the end of the tape to"ice the abutting ends of two strips to form a splice. While the end ofthe tape is held by the applicator, the taperoll carriage moves awayfrom the splice, stripping a length of tape from the roll. As the tapeis stripped from. the roll, it is drawn through the cutter andtape-creasing or folding means. The tape is then severed. As thetaperoll carriage continues to move, it pulls the leading end of thetape away from the cutter so that the adhesive will not cause the end ofthe tape to stick to the cutter during the next cycle when the tape isfed through the cutter. Next, both carriages move away from the splicecausing the applicator roller to be lifted from the splice and thecutter to be recocked.

Additional novel features of this invention will become apparent fromthe description which follows, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a filmsplicing device incorporating the tape dispenser and applicator of thisinvention, showing the tape support tables in open position with filmstrips positioned on them prior to being spliced;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the film splicing device ofFIG. 1, showing the tables in open position after the film strips havebeen cut;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the tape dispenser and applicatortaken on the opposite side from FIG. 1, parts being broken away andomitted for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal section, taken alongline 44 of FIG. 1, showing details of the tape-feed mechanism when thedevice is at rest;

FIG. '5 is an enlarged, substantially vertical section, taken along line5-5 of .FIG. 4, with parts broken away for clarity of illustration,showing details of the tapecreasing device;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary, top-plan view of the tape dispenserand applicator at rest;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section, taken along line 77 of FIG. 6, showingthe position of the tape dispenser and applicator at rest, with partsbroken away and omitted for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section, similar to FIG. 7, but showing theposition of the tape dispenser and applicator just after the pressureroller has been released; and

FIG. 9 is a vertical section, similar to FIGS. 7 and 8, but showing thetape dispenser and applicator just after the cutter has severed thetape.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with thisinvention, the tape dispenser and applicator includes movable tables 10and 11, as shown in FIG. 1, which are adapted to support the ends of twostrips, such as film strip 12 on table 10, which may be fed onto thetable from a supply roll (not shown) and a film strip 13 mounted ontable 11, which may be attached to a film take-up reel (not shown).These tables are mounted for reciprocal movement on a support rod 14,shown in FIGS. 1-3, for movement across the front of frame F so that thefilm ends may be brought into abutting relationship for splicing. Aknife carriage K and a tape-roll carriage R mounted for reciprocalmovement within frame F in a direction generally perpendicular to themovement of tables 10 and 11.

As best seen in FIG. 3, frame F may be conveniently formed from a singlepiece of material, such as sheet metal, having a base 15 integrallyformed with sides 16 and 17 which terminate in outwardly extendingflanges 18 and 19, respectively. The rear of base 15 terminates in alarger pedestal or support 21 upon which the tapesplicer, drive motor ismounted by means of angle bracket 23.

To initiate operation of film splicer S, handle 24 is pulled forwardlyand depressed, as from the solid line position to the dotted lineposition shown in FIG. 7. The handle is mounted between arms 25 and 26which terminate at their lower ends in angular brackets 27 and 28, asbest seen in FIG. 6, which are pivotly connected to support rod 14.Curved cutter blades 29 and 30 are attached to the outer sides of arms25 and 26, respectively, and are adapted to cut against cutting members31 and 32 on tables and 11, respectively, when the handle is lowered tothe dotted line position of FIG. 7. Upon release, handle 24 is returnedto its retracted position by means of springs 33 and 34 connectedbetween arms 25 and 26 and side walls 16 and 17, respectively, as bestseen in FIG. 6.

This movement begins the automatic portion of the splicing operation byclosing switch 35 of FIG. 2 which energizes motor 36 to cause tables 10and 11 to be driven together. The tables are interconnected by racks 37and 38 through pinion 39. As the tables come together, the rack 37 willengage microswitch 40 to energize tape splicer drive motor 22, which isconnected to a tape-roll holding means such as tape-roll carriage R,through bell crank 41, link 42, arm 43 connected to one side thereof andoffset arm 44 connected to the other side, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Tape-roll carriage R is mounted for longitudinal movement within a knifecarriage K, which in turn is movable longitudinally within a generallyU-shaped support S. Both carriages, however, are mounted for movementalong support S, as described below. Support S has a relatively shortleft side wall 45, a bottom wall 46 and a relatively high right sidewall 47 connected to frame F by front bracket 48 and rear bracket 49,extending between side Walls 16 and 17 of frame F. Knife carriage K ismounted for movement within support S and is also generally U- shapedhaving a left side wall 50, a bottom wall 51 and a right side wall 52.As can be seen in FIG. 6, knife carriage K is supported by rollers 53and 54 journaled on shafts 55 and 56, respectively, extending from sidewall 50 and riding along the upper edge of support side wall 45. Theopposite side of carriage K is supported by rollers 57 and 58 which arejournaled on shafts 59 and 60, respectively, and roll between upper andlower rails or tracks 61 and 62 of slot 63 in support side wall 47.Conveniently, the tracks are set inwardly from wall 47 so that the outeredges of rollers 57 and 58 are substantially flush therewith.

Similarly, tape-roll carriage R is mounted for movement relative to bothsupport S and knife carriage K and is located within the knife carriage.Carriage R, which is U-shaped, includes a left wall 64, a bottom wall 65and a relatively high right wall 66 for supporting a roll of tape. Theleft side of carriage R is supported by rollers 67 and 68 journaled onshafts 69 and 70, respectively, which ride along the upper edge of sidewall 45. The opposite side is supported by rollers 71 and 72, roller 71being journaled on shaft 73 and roller 72 being journaled on theopposite end of shaft 70 extending across knife carriage K and tape-rollcarriage R. Advantageously, shaft 70 extends beyond rollers 68 and 72and is provided with collars 74 and 75 which receive yoke 76 of angulararm 44 and yoke 77 of arm 43, respectively. Arms 43 and 44 are pivotedon a shaft 78 whose ends extend through cars 79 and 80, which dependfrom support S, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. Advantageously, rollers53, 54, 67 and 68 are held against the upper edge of side wall 45, whichacts as a rail or track, by an angular, generally U-shaped housing 81which is attached to side wall and has slots through which arm 44extends, such as slot 82 in the upper wall thereof, as seen in FIG. 6.Thus, it can be seen that as bell crank 41 is turned by motor 22, knifecarriage K is reciprocally driven by link 42 and arms 43 and 44. It willbe understood that one revolution of the bell crank results in onecomplete cycle of the device. Knife carriage K is driven by tape-rollcarriage R as will be ex plained more fully below.

As clearly seen in FIG. 4, tape-roll carriage R serves as a holdingmeans for tape-roll 83 mounted on a pair of spools 84 and 85 attached towall 66, a length of tape 86 being fed from roll 83 around guide roller87; through a tape folding or crimping device D; and through cutter C,attached to knife carriage K. Crimping device D includes a generallyflat plate 88 connected to an angle 89 mounted on wall 66 of knifecarriage K. Conveniently, plate 88 has a central, vertical slot 90 cuttherein, as shown partially in section in FIG. 5, which terminates in anenlarged V-shaped notch 91. A generally cylindrical member 92, having avertical, transverse slot 93 extending from the lower end thereof, ispositioned over plate 88, as best seen in FIG. 4. The bottom of member92 has an angular edge 94 which cooperates with notch 91 to form agenerally V-shaped slot, which creases the tape as it is pulledtherethrough. Angular edge 94 is maintained in fixed spaced relationshipto notch 91 by means of a threaded knob 95 on the upper end of member 92which rests on plate 88. Thus, the thickness of the groove can beadjusted to assure that the tape is creased as it is pulled therethroughwithout applying a positive pressure to the tape. Advantageously, thisarrangement prevents the pressure-sensitive surface of the tape fromsticking to the groove.

The tape may be fed from creasing device D between the blades of C,which is mounted on knife carriage K, and under an applicator roller'96, which is rotatably mounted between the ends of angular arms 97 and98 pivoted about roller shafts 55 and 59, respectively, extending fromthe knife carriage, as best seen in FIG. 6. Arm 97 terminates at shaft55, whereas arm 98 has a depending cocking lever 99 at the rear end forrecocking or raising roller 96 near the end of a cycle, as describedbelow. Roller 96 is normally urged downwardly by coil spring 100extending between lever 99 and bottom wall 46 of support S, as best seenin FIGS. 7-9. It is held in the cooked or raised position, however, by arelease lever 101 pivoted at its lower end on a shaft 102, extendingfrom side wall 52. The lever has an outstanding ear or abutment 103 atits upper end engageable by an adjustable stop 104 extending through aflange 105 at the forward edge of side wall 66 of tape-roll carriage R,as described below. Release lever 101 is normally held in uprightposition by coil spring 106, extending between it and shaft 59, and hasa notch 107 on the inner edge thereof, which engages a latch plate 108extending from arm 98.

Cutter C includes a vertical plate 109 mounted on inturned flange 110 ofside wall 52 on knife carriage K, as best seen in FIG. 4, which has acutting surface along the lower edge spaced from a knife blade 111pivoted to plate 109 about a shaft 112 as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, tape 86may be fed between the fixed and pivoted blades. Blade 111 is normallyurged toward cutting position by coil spring 113 extending from the endthereof to the upper end of plate 109, but is held in cocked position bya latching arm 114, shown in FIGS. 7-9, pivoted intermediate its endsabout pivot pin 115 on plate 109, which has a lip 116 engageable withoutwardly extending arm or car 117 on blade 111. The upper end of arm114 is adjustably connected to a link 118 through a pivot 119 andadjustment screw 120. Intermediate the ends of link 118 is a relativelywide longitudinal slot 121 which has a narrower slot 122 extending fromthe lower rear end thereof and forming a shoulder 123 thereabove, bestseen in FIG. 8. Conveniently, shaft 124 extends from side wall 66 oftape-roll carriage R through and is movable within slot 121 to activatecutter C, as described below. Link 118 is held in place by a washer 125attached to the end of the shaft. The end of link 118 is provided withan inclined cam surface 126, adapted to engage pin 127 on wall 47 of thesupport to permit necocking of cutter C, as discussed below.

After the cutter has been actuated, it may be recocked by means of acocking arm 128, pivoted about shaft 59, and having a depending lever129 at the rear end and a generally U-shaped curved lip 130 the forwardend adapted to engage pin 131 extending from car 117 on blade 111.

The splicing operation is started, as stated above, by depressing handle24 to cause cutter blades 29 and 30 to sever the ends of film strips 12and 13. Upon release of the handle, switch 35 will activate motor 36 toclose tables and 11 so that rack 37 engages microswitch 40 to energizetape splicer drive motor 22, which will cause bell crank 41 to berotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, so thattape-roll carriage R is moved forwardly by arms 43 and 44. Initially,both carriages move forwardly together from the at-rest position shownin FIG. 7. Tape-roll carriage R and knife carriage K are interconnectedby coil spring 133 extending from bottom wall 65 to a depending flange134 on bottom wall 51. This spring pulls knife carriage K along withtaperoll carriage R until the end of coil spring 135, which is mountedon a rod 136 between flange 134 and an upturned car 137 in bottom wall46 of support S, engages car 137. Advantageously, the initial distancebetween the end of spring 135 and ear 137 is such that this movement-ofknife carriage K will bring applicator roller 96 into position over theabutting ends of strips 12 and 13. Since spring 135 is stronger thanspring 133, knife carriage K will stop moving, but tape-roll carriage Rwill continue to be driven forward, stretching spring 133. This movementwill cause the end of tape 86, which is initially just to the rear ofcutter C, to be fed between plate 109 and blade 111 of the cutter, untilit is positioned over the abutting ends of film strips 12 and 13. Atthis point, stop 104 strikes abutment 103 on release lever 101 moving itfrom the dottedline position of FIG. 8 to the solid-line releasedposition so that applicator roller 96 presses tape 86 against the filmsh'ips.

Tape-roll carriage R continues to be driven forward so that adjustablestop 138, extending through ear 139 thereon, strikes abutment 140 onknife carriage K so that the knife carriage is moved forwardlycompressing spring 135 slightly and causing applicator 96 to roll acrossthe leading end of tape 86 to firmly aifix it to the film strips. Thespacing of stop 138 and abutment 140 is such that they come togetherimmediately after stop 104 strikes release lever 101.

As roller 96 rolls across the end of the tape, bell crank 41 will haverotated so that it extends rearwardly. As it continues to rotate, itwill begin driving tape-roll carriage R in the opposite direction,through link 42 and arms 43 and 4. As this movement begins, bothcarriages initially will move to the right, together as viewed in FIGS.7-9, until spring 135 is no longer compressed, returning applicatorroller 96 to the position of FIG. 8. Then, tape-roll carriage R willcontinue to the right while knife carriage K remains stationary. Sinceapplicator roller 96 is still resting on the end of tape 86, anadditional length of tape will be stripped from roll 83 and creased bycreasing device D. During this movement, shaft 124 will move along slot121 in link 118 until it abuts shoulder 123. Conveniently, link 118should be adjusted, by means of screw 120, so that this movement is justsuflicient to strip a length of tape from roll 83 which will be theproper length for the next subsequent splice. When shaft 124 strikesabutment 123, latching arm 114 on cutter C will be pivoted in aclockwise direction about pivot pin 115, thereby releasing blade 111which will sever the tape.

Tape-roll carriage R continues to be driven rearwardly as knife carriageK remains stationary. This movement pulls the severed end of tape 86away from the edge of the cutter so that the adhesive on the tape willnot cause it to stick to the cutter when it is fed therethrough duringthe next cycle. Since ithas been creased by creasing device D, itremains substantially rigid for feeding during the next cycle. Duringthe continued movement of carriage R, cam surface 126 of link 118 willride up on pin 127 extending from support S until shaft 124 is alignedwith narrow slot 122. Link 118 will then be pulled forwardly by coilspring 142, connected between cam surface 126 and wall 66 of tape-rollcarriage R, to permit latching arm 114 to return to its initialposition.

An adjustable abutment screw 143 is mounted on an intured flange 144 atthe rear edge of wall 66. Thus, as tape-roll carriage R continues to bedriven rearwardly, screw 143 will strike bumper 145, attached to flange146 on side wall 52 of knife carriage K, so that the knife carriage isnow driven rearwardly with the tape-roll carriage.

Front support bracket 48 is provided with a depending leg 147 whichterminates in a forwardly extending flange 148. Flange 148 is providedwith a notch 149, partially shown in FIG. 6, for receiving the ends ofCooking levers- 99 and 128. A pair of adjustable screws 150 and 151extend through leg 147 and are adapted to be engaged by cocking levers99 and 128, respectively, as knife carriage K is moved rearwardly. Thus,applicator roller 96 will be raised, permitting notch 107 of releaselever 101 to engage plate 108, as the release lever is pivoted in aclockwise directiomas viewed in FIGS. 7-9, under the influence of spring106. As cocking lever 129 is pivoted in a clockwise direction, curvedlip 1 30 will engage pin 131 on cutter blade 111 causing the blade to bepivoted against the force of spring 113 until it is held in cockedposition by lip 116 of latching arm 114. At this point, bell crank 41will have completed one revolution, again reaching the rest positionshown in FIG. 7. Movement is stopped by microswitch 152 when it reachesrecess 153 in cam 154 to shut off motor 22.

Thus, it can be seen that the novel features of this invention have beenfulfilled to a marked degree by the structure shown and described. Twoseparate carriages are reciprocally mounted on a common support, thefirst carriage, which is driven by a motor, carries the tape roll and asecond carriage which carries the tape applicator and cutoff means isinterconnected to the first carriage by spring means so that during aportion of the movement of the first carriage, the second carriage willmove therewith. However, at the end of the forward movement of thecarriages, the knife carriage will be stopped while the tape-rollcarriage moves forwardly to position the tape under the tape-affixingroller, which drops down onto the end of the tape to splice two abuttingstrips which are to be joined together and rolls forward across theleading edge of the tape. During the rearward movement of the carriages,the tape-roll carriage moves for a short distance while thetape-affixing carriage remains stationary to strip a length of tape fromthe tape-roll for the next subsequent operation. This length of tape ispulled through the creasing device so that it will be rigid enough forsubsequent feeding. At this point, the tape is severed and the trailingedge of the tape applied to the splice by the applicator roller. Thetape carriage continues to move rearwardly, pulling the severed edge ofthe tape away from the knife so that it will not stick thereto duringsubsequent feeding. Then the tape-roll carriage engages the knifecarriage so that they both move together. During this movement, thecocking levers are actuated to raise the applicator roller and recockthe cutter.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference tothe preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

We claim:

1. A device for applying a length of tape to an article, said devicecomprising: 7

a support for positioning an article to be taped;

tape-roll holding means mounted for reciprocal move ment toward and awayfrom said support;

means for guiding a first length of tape from a taperoll on said holdingmeans toward said support;

I tape-applying means movable toward and away from said support forapplying a length of tape to an article;

means for biasing said tape-applying means toward said support;

actuatable release means for releasably holding said tape-applying meansin a position spaced from said support and for releasing saidtape-applying means for movement by said biasing means toward saidsupport in response to movement of said holding means toward saidsupport when said first length of tape is positioned between saidtape-applying means and said article to apply said first length of tapeto an article on said support;

drive means coupled to said holding means for moving said holding meansalong said track toward said first length of tape is positioned betweensaid article and said applying means, and for moving said holding meansaway from said support when said applying means is retaining said firstlength of tape against an article so that a second length of tape willbe stripped from said roll for later application to an article; and

an actuatable cutter between said tape-applying means and said guidingmeans movable between a cocked position and a cutting position forsevering said first length of tape from said roll after said secondlength of tape has been stripped from said roll;

means for actuating said cutter engageable by and responsive to movementof said holding means away from said support to out said first length oftape from said roll; and

means associated with said cutter responsive to movement of said holdingmeans away from said support to cock said cutter after said first lengthof tape has been severed.

2. A device for applying a length of tape to an article,

comprising a frame having a track;

a support adjacent said track for retaining an article to be taped;

tape-roll holding means mounted for reciprocal movement on said trackfrom an initial rest position to position adjacent said support;

means on said holding means for guiding a first length of tape from aroll on said holding means toward said support;

a carriage mounted for reciprocal movement along said track;

tape-applying means on said carriage, movable between a first positionwherein said first length of tape may be fed between said applying meansand an article on said support and a second position for engaging andpressing said length of tape against said article;

means for urging said tape-applying means toward said support;

actuatable release means for releasably holding said tape-applying meansin a position spaced from said support and for releasing saidtape-applying means for movement by said biasing means toward saidsupport in response to movement of said holding means toward saidsupport when said first length of tape is positioned between saidtape-applying means and said article to apply said first length of tapeto an article on said support;

drive means coupled to said holding means for moving said holding meanstoward said support until said support until said first length of tapeis positioned between said article and said applying means, and formoving said holding means away from said support along said track whensaid applying means is in said second position holding said first lengthof tape against an article so that a second length of tape will bestripped from said roll for subsequent application to an article; and

first resilient means interconnecting said tape holding means and saidcarriage to move said carriage toward said support when said holdingmeans is moved along said track toward said support;

second resilient means extending from one of said carriage and saidframe for engaging the other of said carriage and said frame when saidcarriage has moved along said track to a place wherein said tapeapplying means is positioned over an article on said support, saidholding means being movable against the force exerted by said firstresilient means to feed said first length of tape between said applyingmeans and said article;

an abutment on said holding means; and

release means on said tape-applying means engageable with said abutmentto move said tape-applying means from said first position to said secondposition when said second length of tape has been fed between saidapplying means and said article.

3. A device, as set forth in claim 2, further including:

actuatable tape cutting means on said carriage between saidtape-applying means and said guiding means movable between a cookedposition and a cutting position to out said first length of tape fromsaid roll after said second length of tape is stripped from said roll;and

means for actuating said cutting means engageable by and responsive tomovement of said holding means along said track away from said supportafter said second length of tape has been stripped from said roll.

4. A device, as set forth in claim 3, further including:

means for moving said cutting means from said cutting position to saidcocked position, said moving means being engageable with said frame inresponse to movement of said holding means toward said rest positionafter actuation of said cutting means.

5. A device, as set forth in claim 2, further including:

means on said carriage engageable by said holding means after saidapplying means has moved to said second position to move said carriageagainst the force of said second resilient means as said holding meansis driven along said track toward said support so that said applyingmeans moves across said article applying said length of tape thereto.

6. A device, as set forth in claim 2, further including means engageablewith said frame for moving said applying means from said second positionto said first position in response to movement of said holding means tosaid rest position after actuation of said cutting means.

7. A device, as set forth in claim 2, further including:

stop means on said carriage engageable by said tapeholding means duringmovement of said holding means toward said initial rest position afteractivation of said cutting means, to move said carriage along said trackwith said holding means to said initial rest position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1969 Jorgensen l56505 3/1955Nord et al 1565l7 US. Cl. X.R.

223 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERHHCATE CF CQRREC'HCN Patent No, DatedJuly 18 Inventor(s) John E. Morse and Norman J. Rosenburgh It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 7; Claim 1; line 20; delete "along said track toward and insert--toward said support until--.

Column 7; Claim 2; line 70; after means(2nd occurrence) insert --alongsaid track-.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of December- 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOT'I'SCHALK Commissioner of PatentsAttesting Officer

